Yes. It would have been nice if you’d started earlier – but you haven’t and the PSAT or SAT is looming just over the horizon. What do you do NOW?
PSAT Prep
The Princeton Review PSAT 8/9 Prep 2nd Edition for the Digital Test is a terrific resource. It starts with a general orientation to the test and test-taking strategies. Next, there is a practice test – with the answers explained – for your kid to get a feel for what they need to work on. Then, there are sections that walk you through each part of the test. And finally, there is a practice test – with the answers explained – to see how your kid is doing. If you view it all as a review of everything they need to know for their future writing and reading endeavors and should have learned by now, it provides a firm basis in the Language Arts. (And yes, we use each new edition as it becomes available.)
SAT Prep
My favorite for a terrific grammar review is The Ultimate Guide to SAT Grammar for the Digital SAT by Erica L. Meltzer. Even if you never take the SAT, this review is worth your time. It includes a cheat sheet, several truly useful tables, and sections devoted to every single (nit-picky) thing you would ever need to know for the SAT or wonder about during the course of your writing life. Answers with explanations are provided.
The Complete Guide to SAT Reading for the Digital SAT by Erica L. Meltzer is another favorite at KidWrite! This book walks you through the Reading portion of the SAT with examples and answers-with-explanations. It’s all here and ready for your kid to get a taste of the types of questions in the new reading section of the test. There’s a chapter per each question type, strategies to improve your results, and sample texts to flex your stuff.
Bottom Line
We use all three with the kids in KidWrite! And, we don’t necessarily go page-by-page or go strictly by the book; we use what we need for each kid as they need it. If they need more work on a topic, we’ll go back and cover that area at the simplest level before building up to what they need to know for their grade, the test, or in their future.